The Steam's Release
by Tomaka
Summary: The assault on Cerberus base is close at hand, and Kaidan and Shepard spend the time ensuring the other knows how much they truly care. Takes place immediately after the romance scene in Mass Effect 3.


This is a short continuation of the romance scene between Kaidan and FemShep in Mass Effect 3. I liked the idea that the two got a few more minutes together before the assault on the Cerberus base, not just what what shown.

This story is a direct continuation of the romance scene.

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Propped up on one arm, Kaidan watched as she climbed the three stairs and disappeared into the bathroom. He sighed and looked out the window, still feeling the ghost of her hand on his chest and her lips on his mouth.

He wanted to ignore the tug of dread at the back of his mind, but it stayed with him no matter how much optimism he tried to force. Kaidan desperately feared for Shepard; for her life and for her mental wellbeing. He feared for others as well, and even himself, but she was the one that claimed the most attention.

Forcing aside the growing lump in his throat, Kaidan pushed the sheet off and climbed out of the bed. He padded across the room and stopped when his toes kicked something soft. Looking down Kaidan realized that their clothes were strewn across the floor, each article abandoned where it fell in favour of their intimacy. The sight actually brought a smile to his face as the passion of the night before fluttered through his mind.

Kaidan began collecting the clothes and bundling them together in his arms. It was a task that served to distract him from the impending battle as well as remind him of the strong woman who loved him. Her clothes smelled of her strength; gun oil and sweat and smoke. He tossed their socks and undergarments into a bin in the corner of the room then folded their fatigues and placed them at the foot of the bed.

The sound of the shower erupted from the bathroom and Kaidan turned to look at the closed door. He wondered if it would be better to head down to the crew deck to bathe. But he thought Shepard would want him to stay, and that was all the convincing he needed to stay.

Kaidan climbed the stairs and approached the bathroom door. It slid aside when he neared and revealed Shepard standing bare beneath the steaming water. She had her hands braced on the wall and her head was bowed as the water pounding against her short hair. She looked softened and weary, but there was a definite strength in her stance.

A sad smile on his face, Kaidan stepped under the spray and touched her hip, slipping his arm around her waist. At the contact Shepard lifted her head and pulled away from the falling water. When the water stopped running down her face she opened her eyes, and he could see the exhaustion written in the fine lines of her expression. A low sigh escaped her and she leaned into his chest.

"I'm so tired, Kaidan." She murmured, her words nearly lost under the sound of the shower.

Kaidan held her against him and raised a hand to stroke her cropped hair as she laid her head on his broad shoulder. "I know." He closed his eyes and pressed his lips to her forehead. "The war will be over soon."

Shepard sighed again. "One way or another."

Kaidan cringed and his arm tightened around her reflexively. That wasn't what he meant, but Shepard was right. They would win the fight against Cerberus and the Reapers, or they would die trying. Either way meant they could finally rest.

Instead of offering her words of comfort and false hope, he kissed her forehead again and coaxed her to look at him, lifting her head from his shoulder. Kaidan offered her a small, reassuring smile in hopes he could make her relax. When the tension didn't ease from her face, he pressed a soft wet kiss to her lips.

As the water poured over them and encased them in warm steam, Shepard touched his cheek before nestling her hand into his dark hair. Kaidan sighed and broke the kiss to touch his forehead against hers. His hands slowly slid over her wet skin, slipping around her waist and neck to hold her flush against him.

She kissed him again, her fingers tugging his head down to meet her in the embrace. Kaidan accepted her immediately, slipping his lips over hers calmly, but eagerly. He felt her tighten her fingers in his hair when he brushed his tongue cover her bottom lip, and a soft rush of air escaped her lungs.

Her hands began to roam over his skin, sending tingles up his spine as her mouth opened and her tongue sought his out. Kaidan felt a low rumble rise in his throat as her short fingernails grazed lightly down his back and her hips pushed against his. Releasing her lips he trailed a path a tender kisses over her cheek and down her throat, earning him a breathy moan in response. His teeth nipped gently at the pulse point in her throat while a hand slid from her waist up to cup a breast.

It occurred to him that they probably didn't have time to lose themselves in each other again, but that didn't stop them. Saving the galaxy could wait a few more minutes.

His feet moved and he pushed himself against her, gently forcing her backward until her back pressed into the wall. Goosebumps skittered over her skin as the cold metal made contact with her bare skin, but she didn't tense or utter a sound.

Kaidan kissed her fiercely, his hands sliding down her body as he kept her pinned to the wall with his larger frame. Shepard let him hold her there, clawing and grasping at his skin as she was devoured by his affection and kisses.

Hissing when her teeth dragged and nibbled over his shoulder, Kaidan gripped her hips and slid one hand down to her knee. Grasping it, he lifted her leg and hooked it around his waist, rumbling in approval as her warmth opened up to him and pressed against his groin.

His forehead touched hers as his fingers slipped over her wet skin and trailed down between them. Kaidan heard her utter his name as he brushed a few fingers over her core, her skin hot and damp and soft. He kissed her as he gently slipped a finger into her, her moans caught between their lips.

Kaidan's thumb found the delicate little nub at the apex between her thighs, and he rubbed at it lightly, watching her keenly as she broke their kiss and moaned throatily, tilting her head back against the wall. Her fingers gripped at him, tugging and pawing as she wriggled in pleasure in his grasp. Droplets of water slithered down her neck and he leaned forward to kiss them away and remoisten her skin with a slide of his tongue.

His heart thumped loudly in his chest when she began bucking her hips against his hand, yearning for him to move faster. Kaidan obeyed silently, slipping another finger into her as his pace against her increased. Shepard moaned again and lolled her head to the side, clutching at his shoulders with tense hands.

"Kaidan," she murmured, her fingers sliding into his hair as she opened her eyes. Half-lidded grey eyes gazed longingly at him as he continued to pleasure her with his hand. She pulled him into a soft, pleading kiss and he could hear the gentle whimpers of bliss in her throat. "Please…" The word lingered against his lips and he groaned with desire.

After a few more slow strokes of his fingers within her, Kaidan withdrew his hand. She held him tightly and wrapped both legs around his hips, letting his body pin and support her against the wall. They were both trembling as he pressed himself into her, hissing through clenched teeth as her hot, slick flesh encased him.

Settled inside her, Shepard's pelvis resting against his own, Kaidan kissed her and slowly began to move. He had expected taking her against the wall would be a difficult and strenuous feat, but with her legs wrapped so tightly around him Kaidan found he had an astonishing amount of flexibility and freedom. His teeth nibbled at her bottom lip as he angled his hips a little more and pushed deeper inside her. Shepard cast her head back and moaned, the heels of her feet pressing into the small of his back.

Kaidan felt his breath coming harder and faster as he moved within her, pressing her firmly into the wall with his whole body. The water on their skin caused swathes of cold brush over their bodies, but they were soothed by torrents of steaming hot water.

He could hear Shepard whispering his name as she arched between the wall and his body, and he uttered her name in turn. Bending his legs to give himself more leverage and strength, he thrust deeper and harder into her, making her cries increase in volume. Kaidan pressed his face into her neck as her short finger nails scraped over his skin, sending cool tendrils of fire down his spine.

Panting hotly between kisses over her collarbone, Kaidan could feel the tension in her body growing. The implant at the base of his skull tingled as a scalding warmth encased his body, and he knew neither of them would last much longer.

He slid a hand around her neck as he pushed himself inside her over and over again. Kaidan pulled her into a kiss just as her muscles started to quiver around him. A few more deep thrusts and Shepard broke the kiss to let out a husky, low groan, her body clenching tightly on him.

Kaidan slowed his movements but didn't stop, letting her ride out the waves of pleasure for as long as possible. He watched her face as her head rolled loosely to the side, mouth agape as she keened and panted. Her eyes were squeezed shut and her brow tight, and Kaidan committed the image to memory.

This would be how he remembered Shepard. Not as a great warrior or a fierce commander, but as a passionate woman. The love of his life.

She opened her eyes as the last wave fell over her, and Kaidan found himself overcome with love and adoration as she looked at him. It was all he could take, and he thrust in one last time as a hot tension flared and released in his abdomen.

As he gritted his teeth and dropped his head to her shoulder, he could hear her moaning his name as he convulsed inside her. Shepard clung to him and shakily smoothed his hair back with a hand, gently flexing her hips and welcoming him in deeper still. Kaidan's breath was ragged and hot as it danced over her skin, and he seethed and murmured her first name as more and more pleasure crashed through his body.

His implant wanted to flash, to release the built up energy, and there was little he could do to stop it. Kaidan moaned and lifted his head as blue energy erupted around his body and crackled in the damp air. Shepard was waiting for him when he opened his eyes, touching his face and pulling him in for a languid kiss. As their mouths moved together, the biotic energy encasing him subsided and faded away.

"I love you." She whispered on his lips. "No matter what happens, never forget that I love you." Her hand was on his cheek, soft and wet and warm over his unshaven skin.

"I know," he said, just as quietly. Kaidan kissed her again gently and dropped his head to her shoulder, letting them enjoy another few seconds of closeness. "Fight for me." He murmured against her skin. "Fight and come back to me. I need you."

"I will. I promise." Shepard said into his hair, kissing his temple as her fingers grazed over his flushed skin.

After another minute of clinging to one another, their bodies still pressed against the wall of the shower, Shepard slowly loosened her legs. Kaidan eased back from her and closed his eyes as he slid himself out of her, wishing with all his heart that they didn't have to part. He held her with strong hands as she stood on her stiff, shaky legs, watching her with a small smile as she braced a hand on the wall to steady herself. He couldn't deny the little swell of pride at the knowledge that he'd made the great Commander Shepard wobbly on her feet.

She caught the amused look on his face and gave him a knowing, sly smile, but said nothing. With a hand on his arm she stepped back under the hot water and sighed, tugging him under to share the stream with her. Kaidan obeyed and turned his face into the water, letting it wash over his flushed skin and smooth back his dark hair.

They spent a few minutes under the spray, relaxing as the water cascaded over them, each touching and holding the other. Then, sensing that time was short, they washed themselves and turned off the water. Kaidan missed the contact with her when she slipped away from him and toweled herself off.

They dressed quickly, and just before they entered the elevator Shepard caught his arm and pulled him into a tender kiss. Kaidan felt the sadness and fear well up between them and he took the moment to embrace her.

He held her hand as they entered the elevator, but reluctantly released it when the carriage began to move. In the ride down to the Normandy's command deck Kaidan watched as the woman beside him transformed from the gentle lover that was his, and his alone, to the strong, stony soldier that would win them the war.

He smiled to himself as the hard-eyed and ferocious Commander Shepard stepped out of the elevator, ready to take on whatever Cerberus and the Reapers threw at them.

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Thank you all for reading! I hope you enjoyed it, and I look forward to hearing what you have to say! I have another short Kaidan and FemShep story nearly complete, so expect to see something very soon!


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